Exercise therapy is the central to mission goals of the rehabilitation sciences. New locomotor training and pharmacological approaches, alone or in combination, have been identified as important factors to modify the recovery process for patients with disabilities resulting from neurotrauma or neurodegerative disorders. Thus, it is important to understand the basic mechanism by which the locomotor therapy facilitates recovery in such cases. Moreover, the expression of molecules related to recovery may provide pharmacological targets for further improvement.
Partial body supported treadmill training has been shown to be effective to improve locomotor function after neurotrauma or neurodegenerative disorders (e.g., spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, strokes, multiple sclerosis etc.). However, this intervention is largely institutional, labor intensive, and the insurance industry does not reimburse the costs associated with this intervention. Thus, only a small percentage of affected people benefit from this therapy. It can therefore be appreciated that it would be desirable to have an alternative locomotor therapy to provide to patients with disabilities resulting from neurotrauma or a neurodegenerative disorder.